Mar2016

The Dread Crew of Oddwood – Lawful Evil Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on April 26, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Folk Metal, Not Metal, Reviews, Unsigned Bands, Folk Metal, Not Metal, 32 comments

“Call me Diabolus. Some years ago – never mind how long precisely – I granted the privateers in Alestorm a Letter of Marque and they went on to capture The Good Ship TYMHM and raise the Jolly Roger high over the AMG Staff’s Top Ten Lists. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating circulation. Whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul, I simply drink away the accursed rain. Alas, my initial deed could not go unaddressed forever; I was ordered to write about The Dread Crew of Oddwood’s Lawful Evil.” Keel haul em’ all.

Hammer Fight – Profound and Profane Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on March 20, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 9 comments

We can argue about what the dividing line between metal and hard rock is until the cows come home, involve the cows in the argument until we feel like steaks, and then argue over some rare 16 oz. deliciousness and a wonderful glass of Cornet. But a satisfying conclusion will never be reached. New Jersey’s Hammer Fight and their sophomore record Profound and Profane are intent on making this fight even more difficult by walking the dividing line with the precision of a man who’s just consumed fifteen beers and is intent on doing a balancing act using the lines in the dive bar parking lot. Regardless of genre tags, what we’re all concerned with here is whether or not Hammer Fight is the life of the party or the unfortunate soul who pukes in the punch bowl and falls asleep on the staircase.

Decrepit Soul – The Coming of War!! Review

By Mark Z. on March 14, 2016 in 2016, Australian Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 14 comments

“I’ve always found the crude, no-fucks-given approach of Australian blackened death band Sadistik Exekution quite endearing. With their sloppy live performances, reports that their founding guitarist lived in a Sydney dungeon, and insistence on spelling ‘fuck’ with two ‘k’s (a tendency I’ve often found myself adopting in drunken text messages), everything about the band is appealing in the same way as a B-grade 80s horror movie: extremity for the sake of extremity, with an underlying camp nurtured by splatter-happy nastiness and an utter lack of technical aptitude. It was in search of other groups with this aesthetic that I decided to check out Aussie duo Decrepit Soul’s sophomore LP The Coming of War!!” Fuckks were given about this here review.

Miasmal – Tides of Omniscience Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on March 13, 2016 in Century Media, Death Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, 18 comments

“One lesson I’ve learned in my tenure at AMG is that burgers can be successfully compared to just about anything. Just like burgers are a great plan for a meal in a pinch, they also work in that annoying pinch when a lede just refuses to come to mind. I think we can largely agree that listening to Swe-death records is like the endless quest for the perfect burger.” In dining, as in death, it’s the seasoning that counts.

Atrocious Abnormality – Formed in Disgust

By Kronos on February 25, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Comatose Music, Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Slam, 26 comments

“If I had my druthers – and by Jorn’s undershorts, they will be had – I’d be reviewing a lot more good slam. The paucity of good slam to review occurs for two reasons. Number one; we don’t get a whole lot of promo for slam bands, I suspect because so few of them speak English, and number two; good slam is hard to find. Sturgeon’s rule says that 90 percent of everything is crap, but for certain genres of metal, that’s a conservative estimate, and brutal death metal seems to produce stinkers at an alarming pace.” Watch as Kronos pines longingly for slam.